hi to Brain and Jura. the difference between hijap and burqa is: 1- hijab is any clothes that cover all women body accept the face.any clothes we can named hijab if ( the condetion ) cover all women body accept the face 2- burqa is small bart that cover the face accept the eyes ( it's not common in all islamic countrys ) dear Jura;hijab is not just for head ( it's for all women body ) and we did'nt call a tent or long tent and it's not one kind of clothes ( but any clothes make the condtion" cover all body " we can call it hijab) hijab in arabic is maning to cover or not available,for exampel:the women dressing hijab.so here body not available( we can't see or touch) quran tell women to dressing hijab to brotict themself and make the women not available ( like we see in the west culture ) note:burqa and niqab is two names for one thing( that cover the face) with my all recpect ghassan

Alsalamu alikom.. I agree with Ghassan about Hijab.. But abou Burqa ...I think it is kind of traditional costume for some arabian women in some arabian places , like the bedouin culture.ppl who live in the arabian deserts.And it is totally different than the Niqab as the latest is an Islamic wear , with specific character which differs from Burqa.

A hijab is a headscarf and covers the woman's hair but you can still see the face. http://www.flickr.com/photos/21017270@N0... There is also the niqab which is a long tent like dress where the entire face is covered apart from the eyes, like this: http://www.themuslimwoman.org/images/niq... The burqa is a variation of the niqab but it has a netting around the eyes. http://lonestartimes.com/images/4_8_burq... These items of clothing are worn by Muslim women. Some have to wear a burqa, others can opt for the niqab, some for the hijab, some don't wear either niqab or hijab it just depends on how conservative they are and also which country they live in.

Salam everybody! ghassan well answered the question. just I want to add that the thing that covers the head is called ALKHIMAR الخمار , Thank you allllll!!!!!!!!!

I do not answer the question because ghassan has answered it but he mintioned that ( it's not common in all islamic countrys ) the reality, it is not in all islamic countries In Saudi Arabia the women cover thier faces some women in GCC states too peace